When Hampton Morris stood upon the Olympic weightlifting podium in Paris Thursday to accept a bronze medal, he was making a piece of history.
The Pope High School graduate, who tied an Olympic record in the 61-kilogram category (134 pounds) during the competition, became the first American male weightlifter to earn a medal since the Los Angeles Games of 1984.
The 20-year-0ld Morris, who trains in his garage with his father Tripp as his coach, had already qualified for a medal on Wednesday when he attempted what would have been a world record of 178 kilograms in the clean-and-jerk (392 pounds) but came up just short.
The winner was Li Fabin of China, who lifted 368 pounds in his final clean-and-jerk try to win the gold, followed by Theerapong Silachai of Thailand with the silver medal.
“Oh, it was amazing,” Morris said when asked to describe his experience on the medal podium, according to quotes provided by USA Wrestling.
“It was so much more than I imagined. I’m so happy.”
He said there was a wide range of emotions during the competition, especially since he was one of the younger competitors there.
“This whole time I’ve just been so excited to be here,” he said. “I was very happy when I made that first snatch and I felt very solid. I felt relieved that I made it. That second snatch, I was still confident and knew what I needed to correct. I did that on the third snatch. I was very solid and I’m very happy with what I put up.”
Morris, who graduated from Pope in 2022, began competing in weightlifting in 2016. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the world in the 61-kilogram category, where he holds two senior American records.
His latest, a 176-kilogram lift in April, qualified him for the Olympics.
Here’s more about Morris’ weightlifting exploits, and below is a video documentary called “Hamp the Champ.”
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